Revised Puppy Breeding Restrictions in Wales

From April 30th 2015, any person breeding three or more litters will require a licence, and accompanying that licence will be strict enrichment and enhancement programmes for puppies.

Coupled with the licence comes a strict minimum staff-to-dog ratio requirement of one full time member of staff to every twenty adult dogs. However, local authorities will have the discretion to lower this number should they feel it justified, eg if there are a number of litters on the ground and a variety of breeds with varying needs. Local authorities also have the power to appoint “others” as “inspectors”.

Originally, when there was a coalition Government in Wales there a move to pass an exemption for hunt kennels but a Labour administration rejected the motion and re-introduced hunt kennels to the equation. The regulations themselves have been laid and subsequently withdrawn on three occasions and have been at the forefront of four Ministerial portfolios.

Minister Rebecca Evans has confirmed that hounds kept in packs will not be subjected to guidance which would have required each hound to have an individual bed and at least two filled water bowls.
Rachel Evans Director for Wales said “This is a significant step forward to removing the stigma Wales has for so called “puppy farming”.

The regulations are not ideal, as we are missing the vital component of microchipping which will follow in 2015.

Stewart North Gundog Trainer Produces his 8th Field Trial Winner

It has been 2 years since producing my last field trial winner and on Monday 10th November 2014, I was fortunate to win the Northern Golden Retriever Association 14 dog AV All Aged field Trial with Ballagan Handa of Northglen (Tilly).

I have long believed this Black Labrador Bitch is the best game finder in my kennel, but she has always been slower in gaining gundog awards when compared to my other Black Lab Bitch FTW Russlayne Bracken of Northglen (Poppy).

Several training friends have questioned my wisdom, in pursuit of field trial awards with Tilly, she has always been a good hunting dog but the the handling skills of the dog and handler have fell short of the required standard.

Despite these results in the field trialling world, Tilly has never failed to deliver when out picking up, she has the ability to turn an good day into a fantastic day! there was one occasion when she picked 25 runners and over 50 dead birds in one day.

Many handlers would have probably given up on Tilly, but I was never convinced I had given her sufficient training time, in 2012 my other Lab (Poppy) was successful winning 3 field trials, and in 2013 my working cocker demanded more of my time which produced 7 field trial awards.

There are only so many hours in the day and my priority always needs to be on my clients dogs, whilst trying to compete at the same time. After making a decision to retire Poppy from field trailling this enable me to concentrate on my next best prospect, which was Tilly.

I was very close to winning back in August on her very first 2014 field trial, but we messed up on the final retrieve, we then went on to collect a couple of certificates of merit and again failed in other field trials on the last bird, a pattern which was beginning to frustrate me!

Like most hardened field triallers, we spend stupid sums of money and hours in pursuit of that elusive win, frustrated by poor performance, controversial decisions or just plain bad luck.

Occasionally we get an award, which serves as encouragement to work harder and pursue good fortune on the next occasion and if we are fortunate to win, it makes it all worth while.

I was extremely pleased to win with my best picking up dog! a term I am proud to use and is what a proper retriever is all about in my opinion.

Tilly is now 6 years old, which for some handlers is far too old to be winning a novice or all aged field trial stakes, but it shows a dog with experience can always deliver results.

Never give up on good dog!

This pup going is going to make someone very happy

Its only a few months ago, I was concerned that I may have missed the opportunity to cover my top gundog who is now 6 years old "Russlayne Bracken of Northglen" aka Poppy, she is such a lean fit dog it was difficult to know she was pregnant until the 6th week. Then on the 15th June she surprised us all giving birth to 10 pups, 7 bitches & 3 dogs.

She has been an excellent mum, very chilled when we have visitors, the pups and mum have been in the home, in the kennel, out in the garden, picked up and put down hundreds of times by large adults, small adults, large children and very little children, they have experienced traffic noise, the hoover, excellent weather, poor weather, a variety of surfaces and more recently had the whole 1 acre garden to explore.

The all went to the vet for an inspection this morning and not one of them was travel sick!

The burden of some many pups, has its consequences on mum, such that we started weaning early at 4 weeks, that largest pup is now 3kg(just eaten) at 6 weeks. It would have been a little embarrassing to show mum off 10 days ago, look liked a malnourished bag of bones. Thankfully a diet of puppy food, corn oil and fish the recovery has been amazing, I have even started training her again, so hopefully we can build some stamina back quickly. She is certainly keen enough after a long break .

This was a repeat mating, not only because of proven working ability and a certified health history, the previous litter of 8 in 2012 all sold within 6 weeks and we have 8 very happy Labrador owners after 2 years, who have not experienced any serious health issues and all have adorable companions.

We have had tremendous interest again with this mating and only have one yellow dog pup to sell after 6 weeks.

We are one of a few Kennel Club Assured Breeders, who subscribe to breeders code, and have been independently inspected to ensure our breeding stock is healthy, our facilities are of an excellent standard, we have documention covering buyer assessment, health, working ability, registration, training, vaccinations, worming, socialisation, grooming, diet, exercise, 24 hour service, contracts, warranties, free insurance to make sure will deliver better results than most other breeders.

We are still learning and hope to improve on this service, but the fact we are finding suitable homes across Europe and here in the UK gives us confidence we are on the right rack.

We have pre sold more pups this year than in any previous year, and looking forward to hearing how they progress.

Should you be interested in sharing in this success, please register online via this form.

What should you be doing with that Veteran Gundog?

Getting the most out of your gray-muzzled veteran, means recognising his limitations and managing him intelligently. You should avoid extremes of any kind: unusually hot or cold temperatures, steep and/or broken terrain, dense cover, and prolonged time out on the shoot.

It’s important to remember that what doesn’t decline with age is your dog’s desire to hunt; if you let him, he’ll push himself until he literally drops. It’s just the way good hunting gundogs are made. So you have to be the brains of the partnership and stay vigilant for any signs that your companion is starting to labour. If you’re going to err, err on the side of caution. Slip a lead on, head for the vehicle, and live to retrieve/hunt another day.

When your gundog attains senior status—around eight or nine for most sporting breeds—you need to pay increased attention to diet, exercise, and veterinary care.

It’s very important to give your senior gun dog an annual exam before the shooting season. This enables your vet to note any health changes as they occur and take the appropriate steps in response.

Probably most common age-related issues are weight gain and loss of mobility.

Owners should keep their senior gun dogs lean and exercise them on a regular basis out of season. High-quality nutrition is very important for senior dogs; if you spend a little more on food, you’ll spend less at the vet practice

Diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids can help alleviate osteoarthritis symptoms as can feeding supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.  Treating gundogs whose symptoms are more acute, glucosamine-based injection may be recommended. Another osteoarthritis medication with a proven track record is Rimadyl, which has the advantage of being available as a tablet.

Make sure your experienced warrior has a warm, dry, draft-free place to lay his weary bones at the end of the day. He’ll benefit from a good night’s sleep.

Working Gundogs celebrate 3000 facebook LIKES!

We are celebrating this achievement with FREE Pre Training Assessments during JULY 2014, to book please complete online form 

Recognising Hip Dysplasia in Gundogs

HIP Dysplasia is the most common cause of rear leg lameness in dogs. The highest incidence occurs in large-breed dogs, including St. Bernards, Newfoundlands, Rottweilers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, and many others. Smaller breeds are also affected, but are less likely to show symptoms.

Hip dysplasia is a polygenic trait. That is, more than one gene controls the inheritance. Environmental factors such as diet are also involved. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint; the ball is the head of the femur and the socket is the acetabulum of the pelvis. In a dysplastic hip, the head of the femur fits loosely into a poorly developed, shallow acetabulum. Joint instability occurs as muscle development lags behind the rate of skeletal growth. As the stress of weight-bearing exceeds the strength limits of the supporting connective tissue and muscle, the joint becomes loose and unstable. This allows for free play of the femoral head in the acetabulum, which promotes abnormal wear and tear.

Feeding a very high-calorie diet to growing dogs can exacerbate a predisposition to hip dysplasia, because the rapid weight gain places increased stress on the hips. Being overweight supports the genetic potential for hip dysplasia, as well as other skeletal diseases. A diet with an imbalance of calcium and phosphorous is bad for bone development.

Another factor that can bring on the symptoms of hip dysplasia is inappropriate exercise during the period of rapid bone growth. Young dogs should be discouraged from jumping up and down from heights in situations where they land on their back legs (such as jumping up to catch a ball), and from standing up on their back legs (which dogs do when they stand up against a fence or window to get a better view). They should also avoid running on pavement.

Dogs with hip dysplasia are born with hips that appear normal but progressively undergo structural changes. The age of onset is 4 to 12 months. Affected puppies may show pain in the hip, walk with a limp or a swaying gait, bunny hop when running, and experience difficulty in the hindquarters when getting up. Pressing on the rump can cause the pelvis to drop. With the puppy on his back, the rear legs may not extend into the frog-leg position without causing pain.

An X-ray of the hips and pelvis is the only reliable way of determining whether a dog has hip dysplasia. Good X-rays require heavy sedation or anaesthesia. The standard view is taken with the dog lying on his back with his rear legs parallel and extended. The knees (stifles) are rotated internally. Care is taken to be sure the pelvis is not tilted.

Here at Working Gundogs we have all our Labrador Retriever breeding stock tested for Hip Dysplasia, the results can be found on the Kennel Club website under Health Checker.

FTCH Eastdale Harry x FTW Russlayne Bracken of Northglen

Labrador Retriever (working) Yellow and Black Pups

We have recently covered FTW Russlayne Bracken of Northglen (Poppy) with FTCH Eastdale Harry (Harry) and produced 7 Bitches and 3 Dogs ( 2 Yellow and 1 Black Dog, 2 Yellow and 5 Black Bitches), born 15th June 2014, will be ready 12th August 2014.

This is a repeat mating due the success back in June 2012, when she gave birth to 8 puppies.

For the benefit of future purchasers, we conducted a brief survey of all 8 purchasers back in June 2012, we received 7 out of 8 replies, which considering peoples attitudes to surveys, we thought was fantastic. The results can be found here (click to find survey results).

FTCH Eastdale Harry

FTCH Eastdale Harry is one of the best Retrievers in the UK, who has successfully qualified for the IGL retriever Championship on no less than 3 occasions, 2010, 2011 and 2012 gaining diploma's on 2 occasions in 2010 and 2012.

Post by Retriever Training.

FTW Russalyne Bracken of Northglen

FTW Russlayne Bracken of Northglen is a proven working Black Labrador Bitch with 14 Field Trial Awards to her credit winning 3 All Aged Field Trials and is also an Open Working Test Winner and is fully health tested. Details of Awards and health Test Results can be found here (Click for further information).

If you are interested in acquiring a well bred, highly intelligent, biddable Labrador Retriever Pup from fully health tested parents from an approved Kennel Club Assured Breeder, please complete the register via this link.

Scottish Field Trial Powers Revoked by Kennel Club

United Kingdom Kennel Club on the 11th June 2014, notified all Secretaries of Scottish Gundog Clubs and Field Trial Societies, that all future field trial draws will be conducted by the Kennel Club.

It has long been a discussion item north and south of the border, that Scottish field trial draws have been conducted under a different rules (or hidden rules), some may have been interfered with and some clubs make it public that if you Judge for a Scottish Club you will be guaranteed a run in the next season or a novice field trial.

Some Scottish Gundog Clubs and Societies/Associations will argue it is difficult to get Judges, if they do not guarantee a future run in a future field trial.

It's interesting this decision comes at a time when Scottish Independence will be decide upon later this year, and is bound to create a fury over social network sites as to why the Scottish have been single out for such treatment.

Officials presiding over such matters, have a difficult job during the shooting season, which is carried out on the minimal of expenses by volunteers, unfortunately their are a minority both north and south of the border who occupy these positions for their own personal benefit.

It is the writers view these issues will continue, until a better system of transparency is available for public examination.

The Kennel Club have invested heavily on reporting health information into the public domain, which has only come about because of a loss in integrity by those who are supposed to be acting in the best interest of the breed, lets hope its not too long before we all have access to all Judging Appointments and Awards granted throughout the field trial system.

More recently the Kennel Club announced its intention to create its own online Field Trial Management System, again this decision has only come about because private individuals are creating management and information systems, which were previously not available.

Northglen Gundogs Labrador Retriever Pups May 2014 ~ Retrieving

Very pleased with this new litter of Labrador Retriever Pups all 6 showing signs of confidence being bold and strong, looking forward to seeing them develop into proper gundogs